Rheostat



Sept,- l7, 1929. MQORE 1,728,186

RHEOSTAT Filed July 8. 1922 INVENTOR. 8mm 3-0. mm BY Q. '1 11 Z2 Z3 0 8 A TT ORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I EDWARD E. MOORE, OF VILLA PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CUTLER-HAMMER,

- INC., A. CORPORATION 01' WISCONSIN BHEOSTA'I' Application filed July 8, 1922. Serial No. 573,668.

This invention relates to rheostats and more particularly to improvements in operating means therefor.

The invention has among its objects to provide improved operatin means enabling independent adjustment 0 a pluralit rheostats and simultaneous operation t ereof when adjusted in any'relative position.

Another object is to provide operating means of the aforesaid character which provides for simultaneous operation of a plurality of rheostats through the medium of a master lever and also release of the individual rheostats from such master lever upon movement thereof into given positions.

Another object is to provide operating means of the aforesaid character including individual operating levers for the several rheostats adaptedto be locked to the master lever in any one of a plurality of angular positions with respect thereto and to be released therefrom upon movement of the rheostats into given positions. Another object is to provide operating means adapted to be set to restrict t e rheostats individually to unidirectional operation by the master member.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear.

The accompanying drawing illustrates'an embodiment of the invention which will now be described, it being understood that the embodiment illustrated is susceptible of modification without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing a preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a theatre dimmer;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof showing two additional dimmer units arranged in bank formation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of one of the operating levers shown in. Fig. l;

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of said lever; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fi 3, certain of the parts being omitted.

is shown in Fig. 1 each dimmer unit comprises a rheostat plate 1 having a pivoted arm 2 arranged to sweep over a series of contacts 3 connected to the resistance carr1ed by plate 1. Arm 2 is provided with a central pinion 4 meshing with a rack 5 pivotally connected to an operatin lever 6. Back 5 is held in engagement with pinion 4 by a pivoted yoke 7 whlch permits variation of the tangent an le of saidrack upon reciprocation thereof by lever 6 and as shown in Fig. 2 the dimmer plates 1 are arranged side by side with their respective operating levers 6 rotatably mounted on a shaft 8 having a master operating lever 9 fixed thereto.

Each of the operating levers 6 has associated therewith a pair of oppositely disposed pawls 10 and 11 and a gear segment 12, the latter being fixed to shaft 8 and having teeth on the periphery thereof to be engaged by said pawls. Pawls 10 and 11 are pivotally secured to oppositely projecting lugs 13 on their respective levers and as shown in Fig. 4 pawl 11 is adapted to engage the teeth of gear segment 12 to prevent movement of lever 6 in a clockwise direction with respect to shaft 8 while pawl 10 is adapted to engage the teeth of said gear segment to prevent movement of said lever in an opposite direction on said shaft. Also as best shown in Fig. 1, pawls 10 and ,11 are connected by a spring 14 to-bias the same towards gear segment 12 and are releasable from said segment against the action of said spring by a cam member 15 fixed to an operating handle 16 on lever 6.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 5 operating handle 16 has a pin 17 fixed thereto, said pin being supported by spaced lugs 18 and 19 on lever 6 and being held against upward movement with respect to lever 6 by a collar 20 fixed to the lower end thereof. Cam member 15 is fixed to pin 17 and has a V- shaped recess 21 in the upper face thereof, said recess being adapted to receive projecting lugs 23 and 22 on pawls 10 and 11 respectively. The arrangement is such that when lugs 22 and 23 are located within the V-shaped recess 21 of cam member 15 pawls 10 and 1.1 are adapted to enga e the gear segment 12 under the action 0 spring 14 and upon given rotative movements of harrdle 16 in opposite directions the sides of said recess serve to release pawls 10 and 11 selectively, Also upon an increased rotative movement of handle 16 in either di- 'and can also be locked to said shaft in any one of a plurality of angular positions wit respect thereto. Also said operating levers can be released from said shaft to render the master lever incapable of effecting operation of their respective rheostats in opposite directions or in one direction only. It is sometimes desirable to limit the range of movement of operating leversfi and for this purpose pawls 10 and 11 of each of the levers are provided with tripping means including a bracket member 24 having adjustable stops 25 and 26 associated thereon for engaging downwardly extending tail pieces 27 and 28 on pawls 10 and 11 respectively. Bracket 24 can be supported in any desirable manner and as shown the same is bored to receive shaft 8 and is fixed to its respective dimmer plate to prevent angular movement thereof on said shaft.

As shown in Fig. 1 stop 25 serves to release pawl 10 to limit. movement of lever 6 in a counter-clockwise direction by the mas ter lever while stop 26 serves to release pawl 11 to limit movement of the former lever in a clockwise direction by the latter. While the aforedescribed operating mechanism includes a plurality of pawls associated with each of the operating levers it is apparent that a single pawl canbe employed where it is unnecessary to provide selection of the direction of operation of the rheostats by the master lever. Further it should be noted .that the stops 25 and 26 can be arranged to trip their respective pawls in any intermediate position of lever 6.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. In a switch control device, a pivotally mounted switch operating frame, means to swing the frame back and forth, and connecting means to determine the character of movement imparted to said frame, said means including a plurality of selective connecting devices and a single operating handle rotatably mounted upon said frame and having parts associated therewith for selectively controlling said devices.

2. In a switch control device, a switch operating mechanism, means to actuate the same including a plurality of selective connecting devices and means including a single rotatable cam for rendering one or all of said devices operative and inoperative selectively.

3. In combination, a switch actuating part, a plurality of selective devices connected thereto, means including a single cam memdering each of said devices operative and inoperative selectively to determine the character of movement imparted to said member by said shaft, said latter means comprising an operating handle rotatably mounted upon said operating member and having a cam member associated therewith for actuating said devices.

5, The combination with a rheostat, of an operating element therefor, an operating handle rotatabl mounted on said element, an operating s aft for said element upon which the latter is loosely fulcrumed and means for locking said element to said shaft in any one of a plurality of angular positions with respect thereto, said means including a toothed member fixed to said shaft, a pair of pawls carried by said element for engaging the teeth of said member, and means associated with said handle for selectively releasing said pawls from said member.

. 6. The combination with a rheostat, of an operating member therefor having an adjustable operating handle mounted thereon, an operating shaft for said member upon which the latter is rotatably mounted, a plurality of selective connecting devices between said shaft and said operating member, and operable by said handle, means mounted upon said operating member for rendering each of said devices operative and inoperative selectively to deter mine the character of movement imparted to said member by said shaft, and means for tripping said devices to eflect a predetermined restriction of the range of operation' of said rheostat by said shaft. I

7. In a switch control device, a pivotally mounted switch operating elementhaving an adjustable operating handle mounted thereon, an operating shaft therefor, connecting means to determine the character of movement imparted to said element by said shaft, said means including a plurality of selective connecting devices, means associated with sald operating handle for rendering each of said devices operative and inoprative selectively and means for tripping said devices to efiect a predetermined restriction of the range of operation of sald element by said she t.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

EDWARD H. MOORE.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 1,728,186.

EDWARD H. MOORE.

It is hereby certified that the assignee in the above numbered patent was erroneously described and specified as "Cutler-Hammer, Inc., a Corporation of Wiswnsin". wheresasaid assignee should have been described and specified as "Cutler-Hammer, Inc., a Corporation of Delaware", said corporation being assignee by mesne assignments of the entire interest in said invention, as shown by the records of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may Conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of November, A. D. 1929.

M. J. Moore, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

Granted September 17, 1929, to 

